The Longbottoms
by EM Vought
Summary: A look at the night that Frank and Alice were tortured.


A tall man wearing a long brown trench coat stood in front of a small cottage. It was dark and cold in the night, not the air, but the home. An atrocity barely seen in the wizarding world had taken place here many, many years ago. The young man standing in front of the cottage had witnessed it and though he was very, very young it was ingrained into his memory as nothing else ever would be.

The little boy sat on the floor laughing as his daddy had his bear and was making him knock down towers of blocks and talking in that funny voice he loved so much. His mommy was tying up her boots to go do a little night harvesting in her garden. The boy's eyes lit up seeing that. He loved his daddy playing with him, but he loved playing in the dirt with his Mommy even more. The laughter was cut short by a sound outside.

Alice looking a little confused and a little uncertain went over to the door to see if someone was there. She opened it carefully and then slammed it back shut quickly magically locking it, her face white. "Frank! It's them!"

The curly haired man got up pulling Neville to him heading for the back door, but heard an explosion and a bright light from the back of the house. He wheeled backward looking around for somewhere…anywhere…his eyes landed on one of Alice's potted trees and had just enough time to put Neville into the cradling branches. He gazed at the chubby little face almost in agony before turning and brandishing his wand to fight off the attack that was coming. He and Alice fought side by side until they were disarmed. Neville cried and shrieked, but his noises were drowned up by his parents who screamed and never once gave up anything, no matter what they were asked. Neville could see his parent's faces. They were in pain, those people were hurting them! Why didn't they stop? Little Neville really had no idea what was going on, but older Neville remembering back knew what was going on and he cringed when their faces entered his mind. He could do nothing, but watch as his parents were tortured.

When the three men and woman, Barty Crouch Jr, Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Bellatrix Lestrange finally left Neville slipped from the tree just wanting his mommy and daddy. Bellatrix had been the one to do most of the torturing with her wand. She seemed to really enjoy it. Neville pushed on his Mommy and Daddy trying to get them to look at them, but they couldn't. Neville heard the familiar sounds of his Mama's shrub in the backyard throwing bulbs at the house because she was late in her gathering tonight. That had been what scared them off. Neville knew his parents needed help, but what could he do? He knew his Mommy couldn't last much longer. Her short brown hair was now totally white. He toddled through the kitchen, passed the side door that was gone now, passed his Mommy's equipment and crawled through the little hatch in the door to the garden that had been used for their kitty that died a few weeks before. It was a tight squeeze, but Neville finally got out with some scrapes. He stood in his Mommy's garden crying and looking around at all the plants she loved.

"HELP!" He sobbed to them. "HELP MOMMY! HELP DADDY!" He blubbered not sure what to do.

All he heard was the sound of the shrub and of bottles falling. Bottles…his mommy had given him a potion when he fell and hit his head! He toddled into the greenhouse to where his mommy kept her potions. He pushed some crates over to the table and pulled himself up. There were so many bottles though…he looked at them and fought the urge to cry again. He had to help them though…after what seemed like forever, but was probably only a minute the shrub threw a bulb at him smashing a bottle. Quickly he grabbed the one next to it and almost fell off of the table and crates in his haste to get down. He got back inside with the bottle and a few more scrapes and bruises taking the bottle to his Mommy first. She was so still. He tipped the bottle into her mouth and after a few moments her eyes opened just a little looking at him. His father's hand was in hers and then her eyes closed again.

"Mommy…" he said. "Mommy!" They needed help! Grandma! He hurried back outside. "Teetsie! Teetsie!" He called. A small gray owl came down to him. "Grandma! Get Grandma!" He told the owl. The owl looked confused because Neville wasn't given him a letter, but then just hooted and took off into the sky. Neville looked up seeing green skull and snake in the sky over their cottage. He hated it, truly hated it, seeing it there. He scowled and then turned back into the house exhausted and curled up next to his mommy to wait.

It wasn't long after that when wizards and witches descended upon the house led by his grandmother. It was pretty obvious what had happened to Frank and Alice Longbottom. His grandmother held him in her arms crying.

One of the wizards seeing to his parents said, "Whoever gave her this potion, it saved her life," they said holding up the bottle.

"That's one of Alice's potions." Augusta said. "She must have had one on her when they…" she shivered holding Neville closer to her.

It was the only time he'd seen her that emotional. He couldn't blame her. He never told anyone what really happened that night. He doubted anyone would believe him. He barely believed it himself.

Neville walked through the house. Nothing had been touched since that night. Most of the windows had been bust out by the shrub. He went out to the garden and went into the greenhouse. The shrub was still there, but it was in bad shape. It seemed to be breathing heavily. Neville smiled just a little. "I'm sorry for taking so long. My parents have finally been avenged. I'm going to take care of you and all the others now. It's time…it's time there was life in this house again."


End file.
